Like a lot of America, the Big Apple has its share of rotund residents.  That’s one reason it is now a law that restaurants post calorie content on its menus.

New York restaurants with 15 or more outlets across the country must now post calories.  The trend is spreading.

Austin nutritionist Deirdre Earls has mixed feelings about the new laws.

“I don’t calories alone is enough,” she said.  “I like the idea of them providing more information and providing calories.  However, what I really think would be a public service is in addition to providing calorie information, you also let people know there are genetically modified ingredients.  You also take out the trans fats that are directly connected to heart disease, diabetes, obesity."

That’s why the founder of Zen Japanese Food, Adam Weisberg, has done what few other restaurants have.

“We got all of our recipes tested from an outside company to prove which meals were ‘Heart Smart’ approved, and that was based on sodium, cholesterol, saturated fats, fats, calorie counts,” he said.

In addition to putting calories on the menu, Zen also worked with Earls to produce dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and even Weight Watchers menus.

But getting this kind of information on all menus is a divisive issue.  The National Restaurant Association says:  “Restaurants should have flexibility and freedom in how they may choose to provide nutritional data to their customers.”

Weisberg even admits posting calories is not possible for all restaurants.

"A lot of restaurant concepts … are going to change,” he said.  “There’s going to be a seasonal menu.  There could be a monthly menu.  There could even be a daily menu.  So the viability of that is not sustainable."

Then there is the cost. 

“It’s difficult because when you are a smaller company, when you are a mom and pop like we are, well, it costs a lot of money to hire the right people to make sure they analyze your food,” said Weisberg.

Whether or not calories are posted at your favorite restaurant, Deirdre Earls says we would all be a lot healthier if we simply began thinking about the food we eat.

"When people eat in a way that optimizes their long term health and they focus on that in lieu of just their weight, they're not only more likely to achieve long term health but also to achieve a healthy weight that is sustainable over the long term,” she said.